Returning Students

2015 - 2016

For the 2015-2016 academic year, the financial aid application deadline for returning students is April 28, 2015. Tax documents should be sent directly to the Financial Aid Office by fax at 212-854-2902 or by mail to Financial Aid Office, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027. Tax documents are not accepted by email.

Notification of financial aid awards for returning students who have submitted all required documents will be mailed the first week of July, 2015.

Federal Aid Only: Students who are not interested in applying for need-based Barnard College Grant aid, but would like to take advantage of U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid, including Federal Direct Stafford loans and the Federal Pell Grant, are not required to complete the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE or the Noncustodial Profile.

2015-2016 Application Forms for Returning Students

Deadline

Submit form to:

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Barnard's FAFSA Code Number is 002708. You are encouraged to file your 2014 taxes electronically with the IRS before you complete the FAFSA to utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Tax data should be available through the IRS Data Retrieval process two weeks after electronically filing 2014 federal income tax return(s). When completing the FAFSA, you can click on "LINK TO IRS" and the tax information will automatically be transfered from the IRS to the FAFSA.

Student's 2014 Federal Income Tax Return-signed (all pages and schedules) and W-2 Forms OR 2014 Student Non-Filer Certification Form(if you are not required to file a federal tax return) along with proof of 2014 income (W-2 forms, 1099 forms, or other documentation)

April 28, 2015

Financial Aid Office

Documentation of Income for Parents not filing 2014 Federal Income Tax Returns

2015-2016 FAFSA - IRS Data Retrieval Tool

(This section will be updated as additional information is provided by the U.S. Department of Education. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool will become available for the 2015-2016 school year in early February 2015.)

The U.S. Department of Education created an enhancement to the FAFSA filing process by allowing applicants and parents to retrieve tax data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IDRT). To expedite the application process, you are encouraged to 1) file your 2014 taxes electronically with the IRS and 2) complete your FAFSA approximately two weeks after your taxes are filed electronically to use the IDRT to simplify the federal income tax data verification process. The income tax information will be available through the IDRT approximately two weeks after electronic filing and eight weeks after submitting a paper tax return.

All 2015-2016 FAFSA on the Web applicants, and the parents of dependent applicants, who indicate that they have filed their federal tax returns prior to completing their FAFSA and who are otherwise eligible, will be directed to use the FAFSA-IRS Data Retrieval process to complete their FAFSA more easily and accurately. With this tool, parents will be able to transfer their federal tax information straight from their 2014 tax returns to the FAFSA.

Applicants who used estimated income to complete the FAFSA will receive an email from Federal Student Aid. The email will remind applicants that once they have filed their income tax return that they should use the FAFSA corrections process to update their FAFSA using the FAFSA-IRS Data Retrieval process. Subsequent messages will be sent every 45 days until mid-September and then every 60 days until the end of the processing cycle.

Federal Verification

The Department of Education randomly selects certain FAFSA records for a process called Federal Verification. When a FAFSA is selected, there are additional financial aid requirements necessary to confirm your financial aid eligibility. A message included in your FAFSA confirmation report (the Student Aid Report or SAR) will inform you of your selection for this process. To satisfy the Federal Verification process, students and parents who filed a federal tax return must either use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool or submit an IRS Tax Transcript to the Financial Aid Office. Instructions to complete these steps are outlined below. Please note: even though you may have submitted signed copies of federal tax returns, you are still required to use the IRS Data Retrieval or tax transcript if you were selected for Federal Verification. This process is required of both the parents and students when they have filed federal tax returns.

IRS Data Retrieval Tool

To be eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool you must meet these criteria:

You must have a valid social security number.

You must have filed your 2014 federal tax return with the IRS.

You must have a Federal Aid Personal Identification Number (PIN).

You must not have changed your marital status since December 31, 2014.

You will be unable to use the IDRT if:

Your marital status changed after December 31, 2014.

You or your spouse filed Married Filing Separately.

You or your spouse filed as Head of Household.

You filed an amended 2014 federal tax return.

You filed a foreign tax return (including Puerto Rico).

You filed a tax return using a Tax ID Number (TIN).

The home address on the FAFSA does not match the address on the tax return.

How the IRS Data Retrieval option works

When either a parent or student selects the IRS Data Retrieval option, the FAFSA Central Processing System (CPS) will conduct a data match with the IRS. As the federal income tax filer, you will be redirected to a secure IRS website, where you will permit the IRS to transfer income data to the CPS. Data that is successfully matched will be marked on the FAFSA with the following notation: "Transferred from the IRS." This process avoids reporting errors and processing delays that can otherwise occur when the option is not selected. Refer to the steps to take to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (detailed screen shots).

Tax Transcripts

If your FAFSA is selected for Verification, and you are unable to use the IRS Data Retrieval option, or you changed the IRS data once transferred, you will be required to request a Tax Return Transcript from the IRS, and submit it to the Office of Financial Aid (separately from your federal tax returns submitted as part of Barnard’s regular financial aid application process).

There are three ways to request your Tax Return Transcript: online, by phone, or by mail. Please make sure you request a Tax Return Transcript.

The fastest way to obtain a Tax Return Transcript is to obtain it online. There are two ways to obtain the tax return transcript online: using the NEW “Get Transcript” option (an online service which will provide an electronic PDF version of an official IRS Transcript – which you can view, save, and print) or by ordering the Tax Return Transcript through the IRS and having it mailed to your home address.

To use “Get Transcript” (the electronic PDF version of your Tax Return Transcript), follow the options listed below:

A Tax Return Transcript can be ordered by phone. Follow the options listed below:

Call the IRS at 1-800-908-9946 (7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.)

Tax filers must follow prompts to enter their Social Security Number and the numbers in their street address. Generally, these will be the numbers of the street address that was listed on the latest tax return filed. However, if an address change has been completed through the U.S. Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.

If successfully validated, tax filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Tax Return Transcript at the address that was used in their telephone request within 5 to 10 days from the time the IRS receives the request.

IRS Tax Return Transcripts requested by telephone cannot be sent directly to a third party by the IRS.

A Tax Return Transcript can be ordered by mail. Follow the options listed below:

Complete Form 4506-TEZ (Request for Transcript of Tax Return) or Form 4506-T (Request for Transcript of Tax Return).